Gardening in the Digital Age

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Just past 7 on the mountain and Karl the Wonder Dog just headed back to bed. He came out, licked my hand twice and decided the wind was too much for him this morning. He'll be back in half an hour or so, and in the meantime maybe the thermometer can coax itself up past zero. He no doubt heard the wind and did a dog translation for wind chill temperature. The wind is brutal this morning!

Gail and I sat by the fire last night reviewing what has transpired in the world of digital gardening since we did our first website years back. We saw the site as a necessity because our gardens were here at our house in the middle of nowhere. As our little handmade catalog became more and more expensive to produce and mail, the digital world seemed the way to go while providing gardeners with lots of color pictures, good gardening ideas and easier updates for us.

One wouldn't think you'd receive negative comments about being progressive and offering more at your own expense but that was in the pre-electronic era. Cell phones were new and the likes of Kindle, Nook, ibooks, Sony, or Readius didn't exist. Many folks still had dial up when we did our site and we drove people nuts with download times even though our picture sizes were small and images were plentiful. Despite what politicians promise every year, much of rural America remains on dial up and complaints, though fewer than before, still trickle in. When you make any business decision, you know that you cannot please everyone.

After the website, we started this blog, The Vermont Gardener, and when we purchased land on Route 2 and decided to move our business, we started another blog, Vermont Gardens, to discuss building a horticultural business. Our intentions were good, but as the business move required more time, Vermont Gardens was merged with The Vermont Gardener. Some have suggested that I take Vermont Gardens down as it's been dormant for a year and a half now but every month someone goes back into the history and finds something to comment on.

Gardening blogs are plentiful and they represent all manner of gardening around the world. As I began my blog, I linked to blogs I liked. Quickly I found that blogs were popping up every minute and I couldn't possibly even find the time to add those I really liked as links to The Vermont Gardener. Then I found Blotanical, a server for gardening blogs. I joined that and in 2009, was named Vermont Gardening Blog of the Year.

But 2009, was the year of Facebook and I started a page to keep up with the competition. I started a page under my name, George Africa, and then started a Vermont Flower Farm page. Web visits bothered me and as I looked behind the way I had constructed our website and FB page, I found that competition within the hospitality business for the words "flower" and farm" were intensive enough that I changed the name to Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens. Every bed and breakfast in New England had caught on to promoting flowers on the dining table, flower petals on the sheets and at weddings, and walks in gardens. I had to change how I used words and ideas just to compete.

Last spring I decided to try Twitter which was all too easy. My thought was to purchase an Apple phone and walk the gardens each morning uploading the latest blooming flower with a description, price and invitation to visit. The idea was good but cell coverage at our home and business hardly exists at all to the point of remaining more trouble than it may be worth because of inconsistency. I continued with taking the pictures and I put them out via computer. My time saving ideas for promotion are still waiting for someone to deliver technology here.

Twitter and Twitpic did it for me and before spring I suspect we'll exceed a 1000 followers. Again, it's all part of the digital challenge. People offer invitations each week to join Linkedin and a variety of social networking tools but I have had to close the door for now for the sake of time management. Visitors have suggested I build an application for electronic devices and give it to people so they can tour the garden with accompanying flower pictures, descriptions, zonal information and price. Fine idea but again, time in a two person business is tight and each decision like that must be tempered with financial return for time and money spent.

One of the greatest rewards of digital gardening relative to our business is Gail's feedback on customer and visitor response. People look at our website, good or bad, and come with a list of plants they want to purchase and a list of questions to ask. This makes for better gardeners and makes us better retailers. People say the pictures and information are tranquilizing and entertaining and that's nice to know too. They find the blog from the site or the site from Facebook or Twitter or from other links. And through this process, every gardener learns other digital resources which eventually come full circle to us.

Digital gardening is nice for days like today when wind keeps birds and critters in the woods, pushes snow horizontally, and wind chills cause frostbite in minutes. It is only going to grow. Some social networks may grow, merge with others, even fail.... but they will continue.

Up top is a picture of a great old lilium named Journey's End. We grew this lily for years and then availability diminished and by accident Gail and Alex planted tulips next to the last ones I had. Tulip breaking virus took one year to bring the plants down and their journey was over. In contrast, social networking will remain strong and will grow bigger....a great journey that's really just begun If you aren't a digital gardener yet, get clicking!!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the crackling fire and fresh coffee make me happy! Outside gusts to 16 right now.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Smaller Advertising

Saturday, February 12, 2011

12° here on the mountain this morning with a slight wind and a flock of goldfinches cleaning out the feeders. Ice fishermen continue to head to the pond while locals head in the opposite direction for Saturday morning recycling and shopping. Life is good!

A couple days ago Gail stopped in Wells River with a friend for lunch. They had just come from the nursing home where Gail's only remaining uncle, age 93, is now a resident. Lunch was a little late but the local pharmacy, called just that--The Pharmacy--offers a nice lunch. Vermont provides surprises as you don't always know where you can find good food but often it's in places you would never look. The Cabot Hardware Store has a good lunch too, but again--pharmacy--hardware store--who would think to go there?

As Gail exited the pharmacy, a woman was looking towards the car. "Does your husband write a blog?" she inquired. That started the conversation between Gail and new found friend, Janis Moore of TailGait Farm in Wells River. Janis raises and markets grass fed, free range, naturally raised beef including Herefords, Angus and a breed I wasn't familiar with named Simmentals. Janis had seen the URL decal on Gail's car window, was familiar with this blog and made the inquiry.

Years ago I had Tina from The Sign Depot in St Johnsbury make me a vinyl sign for Gail's car and then had a couple made for my trucks. Back then they were $25 each but the point is a little sign like this draws more attention to your business than you might think. I'm sure the price has probably gone up a little since I bought ours as the Toyota is now a 2004 and the truck has been replaced again but what I'm saying is this is a very good business investment that always conjures up a discussion . I had Tina's Dad make the 16 foot sign for our building roof and this summer I have a couple more I want made.

Gail didn't mention if Janis had a sign on her car or truck but the brief conversation was a good one and I was happy to hear that someone else reads my thoughts and enjoys hearing about gardening in Vermont. Hope you do too!

Writing from the moutain above Peacham Pond where the sun really never came out and where snow is now falling lightly. Blue jays have replaced the finches.

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

Social Networking Works!©

On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa

On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Garden Phlox

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Already past 10 o'clock this morning and the wind is coming up just as predicted. Last night's 4"-8" turned out to be only 3" but this wind is tossing it into drifts that confuse the totals. I'm still enjoying the 29°, knowing that we'll be below zero again in two days. The wild birds are in a feeding frenzy as if there is a storm approaching I don't know about but they were late in arriving this morning and that may be the cause of their behavior.

One of our favorite plants has always been garden phlox although you would never know it if you visited us. For years we have tried to grow phlox in pots for resale and have failed miserably, so much so that I refused to grow any until I completed a better study. I read what I could find for information and listened to University of Vermont studies on controlling powdery mildew. I attended a couple lectures and asked every grower I met if they had words of wisdom.

During the fall of 2009, we took all our potted phlox and lined them out at the nursery. They were planted at the top of the hill where air circulation was best and where the tall trees along the river provided some shade. The clay soil, although amended before planting, held too much moisture and although the roots grew well, the weeds seemed to grow taller than the phlox.


Purely by accident, "someone" planted some phlox in the lower garden by the river. It turned out to be a "good" mistake. The soil there is what I call sandy river loam but the correct classification is Sunny Silt Loam. The Natural Resources Conservation Service says about these soils:

"Sunny soils formed in loamy over sandy alluvial deposits on flood plains that are frequently flooded for brief duration from Fall through late Spring. They are very deep to bedrock and poorly drained. These soils have a water table at depths of 0 to 1.5 feet below the surface from late Fall through late Spring. Permeability is moderate in the loamy material and rapid in the sandy substratum."

At our location, the area does not flood but runoff from the mountain across Route 2 in early Spring and during heavy summer rains, collects for a day or two. The soil itself within 80-100 feet of the river is heavily stoned and absent of much organic material. Prior to our arrival the land was grown for hay and I heard corn was grown for a short period before it was reseeded with grass and various clovers.

The long and short of the soil story is that the phlox that were planted by mistake did very well. They showed no sign of mildew and their root systems multiplied several times what we had experienced at the top of the hill. We were impressed enough with the outcome to work up a new piece of land and prepare it for more planting this Spring. We have 14 varieties left from last year and are adding another ten varieties for this year. The plants should be ready for sale by late June-early July. They will be field dug based on demand.

If you like phlox, stop by for a visit. In coming months I will be adding a page to our website with pictures and descriptions. I have added pictures of the 14 leftovers on our Facebook Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens page. Phlox such as 'Bright Eyes', pictured below, can brighten your summer garden and add height to you cut flower arrangements.

Note: Blue Paradise pictured up top. Middle picture is an unnamed blue garden phlox from a century old farm in Randloph, Vt--a gift of one of Gail's friends.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where light snow continues and Karl the Wonder Dog says "Time for a walk."

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Garden of Dreams

Monday, February 7, 2011

24° here on the mountain this morning. The sky is cloudy and there is a typical post-Super Bowl lull as if another calendar page has turned. A flock of red polls cover the feeders and the ground so thickly that even the greedy jays sit in the maples waiting their turn.

As Gail drops off a fresh coffee, she mentions that I better put the plow back on the truck. 4"-8" coming late today. We were spoiled by last winter and the early part of this winter when storms stopped along Route 4, 60 miles to our south. In recent weeks it has been one storm after another and cold enough that the snow hasn't come off the roofs. Rake and shovel as I may, I cannot seem to catch up.

The gardens are well covered in snow now and we are left with a garden of dreams save for leftover skeletons from hollyhocks or actaeas or ligularias. I still like this time as it forces me to remember what plants needed attention and what gardens need new additions.

I have been surprised by the number of catalogs that have arrived this year. We work hard to eliminate all but very few catalogs but the economy obviously suggests struggles for new customers. Some of the largest, most successful growers in America are in serious financial condition now, a direct result of the housing situation, and some have already folded. During a discussion with one of the growers we use, I asked about a shrub plant I was interested in. The grower said they had reduced the number of new plantings because of royalty fees on some of the new varieties and because of lack of projected demand two years out. Essentially the grower was saying that if you plant it and it doesn't sell, you still have to take care of it and if it gets too big before it sells, it becomes almost worthless.This is a lesson a home gardener has no reason to understand but it does impact on what is available.

To help us better understand what flower growers are planting, I signed Gail up for a membership with the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. This is an association for field and greenhouse growers. I wanted to join for some time and I kept belaboring the annual membership. I finally wrote the check and in the first journal issue we have recouped the price in the new information we have learned. To make your garden of dreams current you have to get out and about and see what others are growing.

As you scan the catalogs that probably are arriving in your mailbox, pay close attention to growing conditions on the newer varieties. There are many new flowers to tempt you but some may not make it in your gardens no matter how much you wish they would. Also think twice before you buy those "big collections of perennials" with the cheap price tags or the two pound cans of wild flower mixes for $5. You will definitely receive something for your money but what will actually grow in subsequent years may be another question. Spending just a little more from a local grower will provide a source for planting instructions and a person to actually talk to. Buy local when you can!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a few snow flakes are falling and the red squirrels are reminding me that the sunflower seeds need replenishing!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Garden Development

Saturday, February 5, 2011

2° above zero here on the mountain this morning. We must have been tired last night as the wood stove was on its last spark this morning when I rose at 5 and fired it up again. It's a Hearthstone brand and I can't recommend it enough as it starts quickly which is nice when you're still half asleep,

Karl the Wonder Dog wasn't interested in much of a walk this morning and he's already back in bed. The crows were upset about something over in the red pines and are still talking loudly enough that I can hear them from inside the house. They should be here in about an hour for their morning review of new contributions to the compost pile.

I continue working on new additions to the hosta garden at the nursery. It is progressing nicely although people who visit us often seem to expect that I will work faster than I do. I have a couple orders in progress for more plants. Visitors interested in hostas and shade plants get out of the car, give a welcome and then head down to see what has changed. I wish it was closer to completion too but everything takes time.

I'm pleased with the trees and shrubs we have planted and only one maple worries me as to whether it will make it or not. I planted maples that can handle more water but the one in question had a poor root system and I should have returned it instead of planting it two years ago. The other trees are doing well.

I have always seen lindens planted along road ways and I have admired the nice leaves, good trunk and the annual growth. Since I was looking for more shade to replace the fading box elders, lindens seemed like a good choice. I obviously overlooked the part about them being a Japanese beetle magnet but like them just the same.

Last summer I added some dwarf yellow and also green nine barks and they are doing well. They offer a different height and width to contrast with the taller maples and mid range lindens. This spring I will add some ginkos and witch hazels so I have additional yellow leaves to work against the sinescing hostas come fall.

I ran short of the stay mat for the pathways--crushed granite that packs well and provides a smooth walk for older, shuffling feet. I have the hemlock timbers to make an 8 foot wide pathway down the mountain to the garden and those steps will be back filled with stay mat too so that part of the project will come together soon after spring planting.

Since we moved many, many mature hostas to this site, the plants are well set and should provide a good display this year. They still need to be relabeled and the entire area needs a coating of aged wood chips. Until the snow got deep two weeks ago I was stockpiling chips for that purpose. Lots of work to do but by mid July I hope that those making the walk will see a big difference from last year. It's nice to be able to see what a mature hosta looks like compared to a potted plant, a label and half a guess. Come visit!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a ball of red sun pushes through the tamaracks and pines and suggests morning is here.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Winter Repairs

Friday, February 4, 2011

Although the sun is bright and there isn't any wind this morning, the temperature has worked to get to zero degrees here at just past 9 AM. It was below zero again last night and every aspect of this winter has been a real contrast to last year's record setting warmth.

Winter is a time when gardeners need to catch up on their reading and then begin to prepare for the following spring. Repairing equipment is always on the list even if it is something as simple as sanding and oiling tool handles or sharpening shovels and hoes. As gardens grow larger and and gardeners resort to more and more power equipment, the repair process becomes more important. Some things I can do and some things I need help with.

In 1983, Gail and I began gardening together and our first investment was a Troy Built Rototiller. This was in the days of a South Burlington, Vermont store named Garden Way located on Williston Road where the current Alpine Shop operates. It was a great store that carried all means of putting-food-by equipment as it espoused the WWII theories of the Have-More Plan. There were seeds and tools and books and canning equipment. It was one of those stores that always took time to just visit, let alone make a purchase at because everything was good quality and interesting. Even though we didn't have much money, we opted for a Horse Model 8 hp 319 CC with a Briggs & Stratton Industrial Commercial Engine complete with hiller/furrower attachment for potatoes and similar crops. I'm not sure but I think the cost was somewhere around $1400.

A great deal has transpired in the 28 years since and our gardens have grown into a business that now involves 5 acres at our nursery and a couple acres here at our house. Over those years the Troy Built received regular oil changes, a few spark plugs, a couple belts, starter springs and pull cords and one, maybe two Magnetron ignitions......and it kept starting on a couple pulls and kept chugging along.

This summer, the 28 years caught up with the engine. Although it had developed an added mosquito fogger control feature we didn't count on, fact was it needed an engine job.

Equipment doesn't come with a technician and although routine maintenance was not difficult, I knew I needed help on an engine rebuild. My friend Mike just down the road from our house can fix about everything going and he spends his winters rebuilding equipment. His project list goes from remote control toys to a 1940 something Case tractor he completely dismantled, moved into his cellar and has been restoring for a couple years now. That project will roll back out this spring and it may well join Gail's John Deere 320 Utility tractor on display at the nursery.

Anyway Mike stops by the nursery on weekends during the summer and one day I guess he saw blue smoke rising. He suggested that he bring me his tiller, same make and size but different vintage, and take away our tiller until he could take it apart. As I sit offering this history, the pieces you see here have about come back together.

The engine block needed to be bored and the piston and rings are now appropriately resized too. Valves and seals everywhere are new as are a couple springs and a new gas shut off valve.


As Mike worked through the dismantling and rebuilding, he said the quality of this engine was superior. He and a friend chuckled over a comment that the tiller would now last a lot longer than the owner. If it lasts another 28 years, I'll be 90 and it will need new tires too. I'm really grateful to have a friend who can laugh with me about my shortcomings and work through what I need to keep my equipment operating. Mike's a great guy and if you knew him, you'd wish he lived down the road from you too!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the only thing on today's list is raking the last quarter of the house roof. It will be nice to have that done before the next storm comes through. Oh yes, never forget preventive maintenance.


George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Gettin' Better

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Almost 10:30 AM here on the mountain. 16° with a 3 mph wind. The sun is still trying to break through the clouds but to no avail. Kinda like me trying to get back to The Vermont Gardener after two weeks of fighting a virus. I always get a flu shot but this year, even after the shot, something did an end run. All I can say is that if I had encountered the "real" thing, I'm not sure how well I would have done. I'm still weak but I'm making myself do a few things every day. Yesterday's storm left little choice and minutes ago I came in from plowing the last of yesterday's gift. Alex will get the paths shoveled for the final time and Gail will feed the birds.

Tons of fresh white snow make gardeners yearn for color. I return to this simple picture of a garden at our house when I want to show how easy and inexpensive it is to put together a season-long mass of color that involves Vermont hardy plants. When we ran Vermont Flower Farm out of our house, the gardens around the property served to represent mature examples of what we sold in pots. We lined the paths with thousands of pots, all in alphabetical order and all properly signed. The pots are gone now and the displays are unkept but the notion of inexpensive gardens remains.

Take a look at the picture and you'll notice some tall reds. Those are Crocosmia 'Lucifer', a bulb that will remind you of a gladiola. This plant is from the plains of southern Africa and only 'Lucifier' is hardy here in Vermont. It needs to be planted in a light moist-to-dry situation. You'll know if you have it placed right by year two when it will be profoundly absent or have happily reproduced into more and more flower scapes.

3 foot tall lavender flower scapes from various hostas border the fence. Their numbers wave in obvious clumps and last a number of weeks. Rudbeckias from yellows and oranges to mahogany browns begin in July and bloom into late September. Over time the flowers dry somewhat but the color binds everything together.

Daylilies line the borders and provide continuous color. Simple daylilies such as Lemon Lollipop or Mini Pearl bloom from July into almost Columbus Day and rejuvenate themselves daily as there is fresh color. The cream shades of Joan Senior and Miss Amelia and So Lovely provide varying heights and nice color even after frosts have begun.

Across the fence a collection of actaeas, formerly known as cimicifugas, range in height from 3 to 8 feet and put up bottle brush flower plumes that draw daytime butterfly visitors and any-time moths and insects. And then towards the backdrop, hollyhocks mingle with hydrangeas and garden pholx in purples, whites, lavenders, fuchsias, "almost" blues, reds and pinks. None of these are difficult to grow and all can be used as cut flowers.

So as you look out at new snow cover, think positive thoughts about the colorful gardens you have or can have without great expense or work. If you have questions or comments, drop us a line.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where three crows just found a new addition to the compost pile.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

"Green" Chickens

Saturday evening, January 22, 2011

The barometer is holding tight at 29.44 and the temperature continues at 5.5 degrees despite two different weather stations reminding us to dress warmly, bring in pets and watch out for seniors as below zero temps are on the way tonight. This is part of typical winter in Vermont and should not be a surprise. As I get older, I like it less, but I am never surprised.

I stopped by my friend Mike's today to snap some overdue pictures of his "green" chickens. Mike is my friend but he's also my egg man when the chickens are laying instead of "chivering" (port manteau word for chicken shivering). He fixes my broken machinery and provides an extra set of hands unannounced like when the potting mix truck arrives with 100 bales. He is a great mechanic and he can be a carpenter when times require.

Mike was worried about his chickens and the upcoming cold temps so he gathered up some recyclables and built a nice sun room for his chickens. Now they can come out, exercise, eat and be warm. There aren't any fancy chairs or other typical sun room furnishings but for the chickens, this is just right.

Mike added a new door to the former opening and then took an old window to serve as one wall of the new addition. Today when it was 17° and windy outside, it was 30° in the little addition. Even chickens can go green.

This isn't a fancy addition, it's a functional addition and the chickens love it. They can still come and go as they please but they are warmer as they walk around and enjoy the sun. I think they can see themselves in the window glass but I haven't asked.


Mike has a nice mix of chickens, each has a name perfectly matched to its personality, and most all lay tasty eggs which we enjoy. The big red rooster is a nasty bully but he thinks well of himself and that's what big roosters do. On the other end of the continuum are Becky (way up top in Mike's arms) and Bucky, down in front here, smallest of all with a nice red comb, black tail feathers and one heck of a voice. They are bantams and so far Becky hasn't parted with an egg. She loves the new greenhouse but she always lets Bucky go out and test the weather first.

All the shavings, leaves and vegetable scrapes from the coop and the yard go into Mike's vegetable gardens and berry patches. Chickens are fun to raise and they are great benefit to one's land and family. If you have some room on your property, consider raising some yourself!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the barometer is dropping but the temperature is not moving. Bet it will by morning. Be warm!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Book Sales

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The last week of January is typically the coldest week in Vermont with some sub zero temperatures and wind that makes chickadees turn into horizontal dots trying to land on our bird feeders and get some breakfast. Today is not part of the last week but it is not only cold at -6 degrees, but it is getting colder over the next three days. I truly feel badly for folks with economic difficulties because to me there is nothing like cold. Cold is what I experienced as a kid and living with wood stoves and seeing your breath at night as you jumped into bed were things I said I would never do again. Today a have a nice Hearthstone stove by choice and I love the stove and the associated wood cutting and splitting but no longer do I see my breath when I'm inside my house. Unfortunately, lots of people still do.

Small town Vermont is a great place to live and in our town like many in New England, the town library has become the community center. We have a small library but it offers super service, lots of smiles and excellent programs on a weekly basis. I think it costs more than many in town can afford but that's something that we get to vote on every year on Town Meeting Day.

This time of year the library holds a book sale and it's quite an event. Books that need to be moved along from limited library shelves are joined by books that townspeople bring in and the event raises a wee bit of money for the library and moves a bunch of reading material around. The books that are left go to a recycler and although I don't know where they go, I do know they go to readers someplace else in the world.

Gail has been helping with the sale for several years. It may be a dusty chore but it is full of laughter and good stories and she wouldn't miss it. The helpers also get the opportunity to scan the books first and Gail always comes home with something of interest for me. Yesterday it was The Owls of North America and Beginners Guide to Wild Flowers.

Wild flowers is a topic that I have been fond of since as a little kid I was responsible for entertaining myself and I spent a lot of time in the woods. Today people would be sending rescue squads out to find me but back then at age 6 I walked into the woods and always got back hours later. I don't ever remember crying to myself but I do remember getting lost. Today Gail always asks how we can never get lost no matter where we go in the woods but always get lost in a city. I simply tell her that there aren't as many trees in a city.

Books have always been my companion and gardening books mean a lot to me. As I opened Beginners Guide To Wild Flowers, 6th Impression, 1948, by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, written by Ethel Hinckley Hausman, I randomly found Dutchman's Pipe at the top left page.

Dutchman's Pipe is a plant I have never grown and never will. I can't say that I never liked it because its vining habit and big leaves cover arbors and give a nice effect which has impressed me. The price has always been too expensive to buy in quantity and until recent years few gardeners requested it. I think people have seen it enough now that they are interested in it but I still won't carry it for sale.

This is an interesting plant, known as birthwort from the days when it was used in herbal medicine. All parts of the plant are poisonous so one would wonder about the merits of using a poison to deliver a newborn but stranger things have happened in this world. Insects are attracted to the less than fragrant smell from the flowers and some say that so insects actually become poisonous themselves from their consumption of pollen and nectar.

Apparently Ms. Hausman thought enough of the plant to include it in her book but modern day writers mention its invasive character and suggest using other plants. If you like large leaved plants like I do you still might give it a try but for me, a picture from an old book is just fine.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where my neighbor just went by with her dog, Jelly, perhaps walking quickly because -6 degrees really is frosty!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!©
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

False Hellebore

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Already 8:30 AM and things seem to be moving slowly in contrast to how long today's list is. Very cold weather is approaching and there are certain things I want to get out of the way. It's up to 9.1° now and windless, as light snowflakes float through a slow-to-rise sun. The feeders are packed with about 50 American Goldfinches sporting dull winter feathers but flying in wavy, up-down patterns and cleaning out the thistle and other fine seeds from the feeders. Later on in winter the males begin to change to bright yellow, hence the name by some of "Wild Canary".

I have been working on our website again and am spending a lot of time on images. For several years I prepared annual picture tours I called Virtual Tours and people loved them. When I began the move to the new nursery location, a number of things took a back burner. Here it is 2011 and the last Virtual Tour is from 2008. I have been reminded that the "new nursery" isn't "new" anymore and the virtual tour is outdated. I don't receive these comments as criticism but as "encouragement" to please our readers.

Along the way this morning I opened a folder I had labeled as "skunk". As I clicked on it I thought maybe I had filed pictures of the skunks that plagued me last June until they were flattened on Route 2. For some reason a Mr and and Mrs Skunk dug into the bank along Route 2 and had a family of four. They seemed enamored with Japanese beetle grubs in the lower field and spent time digging and eating with no respect for when customers arrived. It's really difficult to sell flowers when you remind people to "walk the gardens, enjoy the flowers and watch for the skunks".

The folder did not contain any animal skunks but instead pictures of what I grew up calling "skunk cabbage" which it wasn't. Various adults taught me the name when in fact I was looking at False Hellebore. It was only in recent years that I learned that Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus
foetidus, is not that easy to find in Vermont and grows in observable numbers right behind our old apartment in Shelburne along Lewis Creek not 300 yards from Lake Champlain. One of the stories I had learned about the real skunk cabbage was that it was the first "green" that bears ate in the spring when coming out of hibernation and needing to purge their systems. Part of that annual chronology is misleading as bears exit hibernation before lots of things are turning green. The important point is that if bears ate False Hellebore instead, they would probably be real sick or dead because it's seriously poisonous. Here is a Wiki link to explain.

Aside from right plant, wrong plant, dead skunk or live bear, false hellebore is a neat plant to photograph and observe. It grows quickly and by August has whithered and is gone until the following spring. I planted a bunch around a little bog garden I made at the house and for the period of time it was prime, people always wanted to purchase some. For me it has become another plant I would place with care, especially if there are kids around. In the meantime, maybe you have learned another lesson.

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where poets would enjoy writing about what they see from my window.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
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On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

18 Daylilies

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

25° outside and already beginning to drop from this morning's high of 27.9°. By this weekend the temperatures will be in the -15° to -20° range with high winds and serious wind chills. That means all the outside chores I want to get done need to get started today. Working outside when the daytime high is zero is just not for me. This winter is quite a contrast to last year when from January on through September, warm weather records dating from the 1880's were broken.

I am a fan of Fine Gardening Magazine and have been reading it since its inception. There were a couple years when I temporarily gave up a subscription but Gail and I have been regular readers to the magazine and other Taunton Press specialty issues.

The February 2011 issue has an article entitled That's a Daylily? by Brandi Spade. It includes 18 daylily favorites complete with pictures and cites 7 growers who have a good representation of the 18 that are featured. Vermont Flower Farm is mentioned as a plant source and we are happy to say that we offer 5 of the daylilies. We offer Charles Johnston, Chorus Line, Condilla, Sir Blackstem and Sunday Gloves. For those who do not read Fine Gardening, here are pictures of all but Sir Blackstem.

Charles Johnston

Chorus Line

Condilla

Sunday Gloves

I picked up Sir Blackstem two years ago to add to some plants that I want available when I start hybridizing. It's a hybrid from 1988, and one of its parents is the older Gold Thimble, registered in 1966. With one Gold Thimble parent being Thumbelina, another older daylily I like, you can see that there is some heritage involved. Sir Blackstem reflects itself well with a very dark stem of mahogany red to black. Although its name as registered is a single word, it's not uncommon to see two words used. I know I have some pictures here somewhere from this summer but for now you will have to conjure up an image of a noctural, yellow-orange flower, 2.5" in diameter on a 24" black stem. Those who enjoy Bitsy, Golden Chimes and similar older, smaller flowered daylilies will like Sir Blackstem--no matter how they write the name.


As for writing, I'm writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the sunshine has brought a nice spirit to the day and four Pine Grosbeaks to the bird feeder. I've been interrupted five times and this piece reads like a man with a broken day wrote it. Be well!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
Try Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens on Facebook
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Lung Lichen

Monday, January 17, 2011

Almost 3 PM, with bright sunshine but today's high of 6.1° had not been very rewarding. Alex and I had planned to go ice fishing but the leader in me said "no" to what at that time was still -8°. Instead we headed for Bradford to a store I know as Farm Way. If you haven't been there, it's worth a stop. Their Internet moniker is Vermont Gear and they do in fact have quite a selection. The store sits by the railroad tracks, is an old mill, and has a sign out front reminding people that 43% of its electrical needs are met by a ground mounted solar display out back. The store is proof that the owners are thinkers.

Returned home to happily find a response to a question I posted on my January 2, 2011 blog,
Early Winter Hike. As we were finishing a New Years Day hike through the Stranahan Memorial Town Forest, a leafy green plant growing out of the side of an ash tree caught my eye. In all my years of being in the woods, I never saw such a thing. I floated the picture on the Internet and asked questions but until today did not have a definitive response.

Brett Engstrom, a local naturalist and very nice fellow, answered my inquiry. He wrote:

"Funny you should send the photo of this lichen from Stranahan. I took a photo of probably the exact same patch of lichen a couple weeks ago. It is lung lichen, Lobaria pulmonaria.Very striking. Not real common with us, but I do find it occasionally on basswood, ash (white and black), and sometimes on sugar maple in moist forests or swamps."

Mystery solved. Try this link to Lichens of North America for some more very interesting information. Understand that on October 7th I blogged about Lichens and Rock Ferns. Guess it's about time to purchase some good guides and take a course or two. Lichens seem everywhere!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond while Gail reads bad news about King County (Seattle) Washington where my son Adam lives. Floods are some contrast to our current +4.2° and the freezing rain that is supposed to arrive late tonight. Best of luck everyone!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
Find us on Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens or as George Africa
On twitter as vtflowerfarm

Winter Markets

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Almost 5:30 PM. The sun is down and a couple stars dot the sky. The last of the ice fishermen are making their way up from Peacham Pond. Soon the local folks will be back to their homes for the night and the road will become quiet. As the temperature continues to drop, the maples will shudder and creak and startle Karl the Wonder Dog as we make a quick evening call. If I'm tired or cold on that last walk of the night, I might startle too. Probably will.

I have many irons in the fire right now but a Facebook notice this morning from Artesano in Groton, Vermont, took an hour and a half out of my day. Artesano is a meadery that makes some special meads from local honey, fruit and maple syrup. The notice said they would be at the Groton Farmers Market selling limited quantities of three of their hand made ice creams. So on the coldest morning yet to be faced in this part of Vermont, I headed to Groton, over Route 232, a snow packed road that is growing frost heaves on a daily basis. I wanted some ice cream and not just any ice cream.

The third Saturday of each month the Groton community center becomes a farmers market. During the summer it is a weekly affair but through winter months they move to one day a month and shorten the hours to 10 to 1. I've been past a bazillion times but the lure of a taste of this coveted ice cream made me do it today.

Surprisingly--or maybe not-- there was no place to park when I arrived. The lot serves the fire station and also the town clerk's office which is part of the building well known in October for one of Vermont's most well attended chicken pie suppers. I sat in the truck for a couple minutes and then a couple came out, one using a walker, the other carrying a dozen eggs, a bag of dinner rolls and 1 buttercup squash. This is Vermont at its finest and the picture of this couple could have come from Peter Miller's Vermont People.


I walked up the back ramp and entered the door, stopping on the mat for my eyes to adjust. My ears could hear all sorts of activity and there were some good smells too but I couldn't see anything as my eyes adjusted from the bright snow to a room where electric lighting must have been on some sort of economic hold. In a shorter time than it seemed, I could see and I began walking about.

I found the blue cooler and the Artesano sign and the friendly face and smile I had grown accustomed to this past summer. The choices were a super rich dark chocolate, vanilla or Munson's Maple. I could have picked any one as I have no preference but I went with the maple as it is Alex's favorite. The hand packed cartons are quarts and that's not nearly enough once three people break out the spoons but like the economic hold on the lighting at the community center, I put a hold on treats. But this is worth it!

The Groton Farmers Market will continue through the winter on the same 3d Saturday of each month schedule until farmers have to break into their spring routine. Artesano is a different story and you should follow their Facebook page. The ice creams are melt-in-your-mouth delights while the meads including blueberry, raspberry, chili-cinnamon and spiced have a taste to be savored. Try some!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond as a gardener who has horticultural responsibilities that sometimes take a back burner to the scenes and stories, products and people of Vermont. If you can't live here, at least come visit!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Organic Weed Management

Friday, January 14, 2011

Already 7 AM here on the mountain and I'm bouncing around from one thing to another trying to clear up "paperwork" before Alex and I head to Burlington for the day. I'm "old school" so I say "paperwork', not knowing what that word has been replaced with in a society going paperless. I haven't touched a piece of paper this morning but I have placed two plant orders, confirmed a web order we received for daylilies and hosta, and reviewed our business account balances. Every day there are more and more TV commercials about applications for the various Smart phones and I wonder how soon it will be that I must get into that thinking. Here in Marshfield, cell and broadband services are worse than terrible and as much as we want cell phones, they just don't work and what sort of works at the nursery doesn't work at the house.

Gail and I have always tried to steer clear of chemicals. There have been times when there has been no other choice save for pulling up specific crops and getting them out of the garden. This could have involved insects or various fungal situations but there are times when gardeners and greenhouse growers just shake their heads and toss money into the landfill. Compost piles surely are not considered when infection is serious.

We read articles in all our trade journals about controlling problems and we do a good job sharing ideas with each other. Customers bombard us with questions and there remains a fairly obvious profile of those who think in terms of safety and those who dump on chemicals and expect immediate results. The chemical users don't mince words and don't seem to think there is a different way but Gail and I are possesed to eventually be able to show a brighter future.

For Christmas, Gail gave me a little book named Organic Weed Management by Steve Gilman. Gail has a renewed interest in the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) and this book is one of their "Hands-On Organics" books. I'm sure she probably noticed a forward by Lynn Byczynski too as we both like Lynn's book The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers. (Organic Weed Management was first published in 2000 by a very good Vermont publisher, Chelsea Green Publishing.) So as snow in Vermont deepens and my time working in the woods slows proportionate to how deep my boots sink, I turn more focus on weed and insect management and try to learn better ways.

I few weeks back a trade journal mentioned an organic weed control made from citrus. Spray it on and half the weeds are history at the end of about a week. Progress continues over the next month. The agent does not discriminate so care must be exercised to keep the flower crops alive. Best of all, the product is approved for organic production and for food. The name: GreenMatch, billed as a Burndown Herbicide. A replacement for RoundUp I hoped!

As I read product information I was interested enough to send off an email to the regional sales staff for more info. A return call came in two days later and I received an excellent presentation about the product. I had questions about how the product could be applied and the sales person did the research and got right back to me. It is available from a Vermont wholesaler, North Country Organics in Bradford and goes for about $45 per gallon.

It's too early to tell how oil from lemon grass will work to kill Vermont weeds but if what people tell me is true, then I have found yet another product that will help keep Vermont the way it used to be. I have been in sessions where new gardeners spoke of pulling weeds as if keeping five acres of garden weed free is an easy task. I have even heard a local presentation on protecting local riparian rights of way by hand pulling noxious weeds like Japanese knotweed and poison ivy. I'm trying to say that I have heard from those who haven't gardened beyond their backyard and "bigger" puts a different meaning to what must be done to control weeds and be successful with one's crops. That does not preclude respect for our environment. I hope this organic product will help me maintain control of the gardens we have already planted and help develop more gardens that are weed free. I'll keep you all posted.


Got to head to Burlington now. Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where 7.4° has been a regular morning feature here. Possible freezing rain by Tuesday. Bird feeders need more food before I go. Enjoy today!

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm
Social Networking Works!
Try us on Facebook at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens or at George Africa
On Twitter at vtflowerfarm